Special thanks to Foster Mom Tierney for providing these great daily Marble updates.

9/24—Marble has arrived in her foster home and met her foster pack. She gets along well with her two companion dogs. She started a little crate training today and quieted down after about 7 minutes. She may have to be crated when the family is away until she’s firmly established in a home. She became fascinated with her reflection in the mirror. Then in the window. Then in the computer screen. She is a very sweet little girl and loves to give kisses. She is doing great considering she’s in a totally new environment during a stressful time in her life. I foresee her being someone’s “best dog ever” one day.

Oh, and as it turns out, she likes McDonald’s hamburgers. She would like that fact added to her permanent file.

9/25—Marble spent the early hours of Tuesday, curled up tight in her foster mom’s belly, asleep. She did not move all night. And, come morning, she didn’t want bedtime to end. It seems as though her forever parents will not have to worry about being woken too early in the morning.

Marble slept quietly most of the day while her foster mommy worked. Marble does have active moments where she seems almost puppy-young, but she’s mostly laid back and quiet. Marble also seems to be absent minded and easily distracted. She is briefly stubborn, then seems to forget what she was being stubborn about. Her forever parents will be able to use this to their advantage, I’m sure.

Marble is not a barky dog AT ALL, but she does bark a lot when she’s put in her crate. She spent about an hour in the crate today while the foster mom ran errands. Foster mom swung by the house after about 15 minutes and Marble was still barking intermittently. Another 45 minutes later when the mom came home for good, Marble was fast asleep in her crate. She was not anxious to get out. She loves her sleep, this girl. Next time the mom will try music when she leaves Marble. That might help. Right now Marble has no way of knowing for sure how long the mom will be gone or if she’ll be there forever. It’s scary and stressful being in transition.

On day two, Marble is proving to be goofy, as well. At the foster house, the dogs can move freely in and out of the house through a slit in the screen door when the sliding glass door is open. Marble has a hard time telling the difference between the closed sliding glass door and the screen door, however. So today she ran headlong into the sliding glass door. More than once. In a row. Paper has since been taped up over the door so it won’t be so confusing for a little girl.

She understands both “no” and “leave it”, which will come in useful as she seems to be learning what is and isn’t good to take off with in her mouth by process of elimination. When you do give her a firm “no”, though, she runs over an apologizes profusely with kisses. She’s not destructive, though. She just seems to like to build little shrines in your honor with your stuff. :D Somebody is going to be very lucky to have this girl in their lives. She is beautiful, goofy, sweet, cuddly and brimming with love.

Oh, yes. And Marble would like it entered into her permanent record that she enjoys sleeping with her people.

9/26—Marble is settling into her routine. Now that she has a steady, reliable flow of kibble and treats, she’s more controlled around food.

She spent most of the day either sleeping in a ball at the foster mommy’s side or partaking in WWF Wrestlemania smackdowns with her foster sister, Magick.

At one point while she was in the back yard there was something on the other side of the fence that deserved a good barking at. It was the only time she barked all day.

In the evening she went to the park to meet some potential forever parents. She knew they had other dogs they were looking at, so she tried to play it cool.

On the way home she discovered she could smell more good stuff by sniffing the air coming out of the air conditioner ducts in the car than she could by sticking her head out the window. And it was a lot safer, too. She wondered why more dogs didn’t do it that way.

9/27—Marble spent the morning playing with her favorite toy. Is it one of the more than 5,000 stuffed animals and rubber toys offered up by the foster mommy? No. It’s a heavy chunk of concrete block she loves to animate by rolling and throwing it around the yard, then pouncing on it with glee. Have it noted in the record that Marble is a cheap date.

Today the foster mom also came to the realization that Marble knows how to sit on command. Kind of. And she’s doing better than ever with coming when called and “leave it” and “no”. The back yard neighbor gave the foster mom EXCELLENT advice on how to look the other way and turn her back on Marble when she’s nipping and/or climbing on her for attention. It’s a miracle! Marble is quickly learning to get attention for being calm and reasonable and her own beautiful self. Marble is clearly smart and highly trainable.

As the foster mom ponders over Marble’s past, it seems like she was less abused than neglected...maybe left outside to wander a lot. She may have even lived outside and had to fend for herself at times, based on some scavenging behaviors that seem to lessen each day as she’s provided with her needs. So maybe her former family didn’t give consistent care. Or she was abandoned at some point. But she’s not hand-shy or suspicious of people, so maybe abuse in that way wasn’t part of the scene. Still, there are those six shotgun pellets floating around underneath her skin and various scars. Whatever her life was before City Dogs found her, it wasn’t easy. With Marble’s amazing capacity to love and just take life as it comes, she clearly won’t bear the mantle of her stressful past forever, like some rescue dogs do. She is a walking, barking, licking, snuggling and quietly snoring lesson in reinvention and resilience.

9/28—Marble had a few firsts today. She went to the park on her first group walkie with her two foster dog friends. That was extremely successful. The three of them pranced through the park, shoulder to shoulder, like some real-life Cerberus.

Marble also took part in an energy healing session with her foster mom and did well, sleeping through the entire thing.

But the big news of the day is that Marble went on her first group ride in the car with her foster dog friends. While Kizzie hung 75% of his body out the window, barking at and startling everyone he saw along the way....and while Magick maniacally shifted between back seat and front, precariously balancing on the arm rest most of the time....Marble sat neatly in the front seat with perfect posture and impeccable demeanor. Just enjoying the ride. The foster mom hopes she doesn’t end up ruining Marble during her stay because, clearly, she did something wrong with her own dogs.

Update from Lyn (foster mom)Phoenix was probably given his first bath in his life time on his first day after arriving at 2:15 Saturday, September 22 morning. He was still very scared, nervous to move, didn’t look at anyone or anything. He was so dirty that when he was rinsed off, the water ran brown. His ears were combed to scrape off the dirt and scabs. On his head we found 4 puncture wounds, which we believe was from a bite from another dog.

When we dried him off, he looked like he felt so much better but still tried to hide under a coffee table.

Then he went for his first walk ever on a leash. He did really well for a dog that most likely has never known how to walk on a leash. Every car we walked by he tried to hide under; he is very withdrawn but will thrive with much love and affection and with everyone rooting for him!

The next day, Phoenix was invited to attend a training class and when everyone met him, people instantly fell in love with him. He did really well at his training class, and he was very calm with all of the other dogs in the class. I don’t believe there is a mean bone is this little boy. We can’t thank everyone enough for sponsoring to save this precious boy. Just know that your donation has enabled City Dogs to save this amazingly sweet soul and for that, we cannot thank you enough!!

On Monday, September 24, it was time for his neutering. He was taken to the local Humane Society in Charles County, Maryland for this procedure.

He was tested for all of the tick and flea borne diseases, and did test positive for erlichia. Erlichia can make a dog lethargic and depressed, which he was both! He also has demodectic mange which is NOT contagious. What happens in these young little guys is if not properly cared for with nutrition, their immune systems can and do become diminished which doesn’t allow for them to keep the mites that live in everyone’s skin in check, and when that happens you start to see patches of hair loss. He only has a couple of spots of hair loss, and is currently on medication for that as well.

With the right kind of TLC, Phoenix will forget his past and look forward to being a real dog. We have already seen him come out of his shell and run and play, but still becomes very nervous and submissive and frightened when approached, he will lie down and show his belly or slink away and try and hide. Phoenix is now learning how to be in a home without being frightened and already grabbed a toy from a doggy basket. He’s on his way!

We've a had great month with many adoptions, which has meant some tearful goodbyes. Our foster parents are what makes City Dogs Rescue what it is and we are so proud of all our of fosters. Many of these dogs have never been loved before and the first person they'll always remember is the foster who saved them from the shelter.

Sending a dog off to a new home never gets easier. It is important for every foster to know that this dog wouldn't have a home to go to if wasn't for their family. The dogs are usually in their most fragile state when they first arrive in the foster home for the first time. The care and dedication our foster families put into making their dog feel safe and at ease is truly remarkable.

This week we know many fosters are sad to watch their new friend leave so we wanted to share this poem one of our great foster mom's shared with us: "A Poem to My Foster Dog".

Thank you to all who have opened your heart and your home to a dog in need.

If you're interested in fostering, please email Alissa or find out more information here.

It’s as heartbreaking as the volunteers at the shelter described. Phoenix arrived at a parking lot with 31 other dogs crammed into a van transporting the others further up north. He was in the back stacked on top of other pups waiting for the promise of a forever home. Phoenix was facing the back of his crate. He wouldn’t look at people, there was no wagging and happy to see a human. He was, in a sense, just a shell of a dog.

When he was finally able to be lifted and pull out of his crate, he sat frozen on the ground just staring out into space. He is actually smaller than was originally thought. He shows the scars of neglect. One eye had a little bit of puss coming from it and his ears were scabbed from some infestation of some sort. He was given a moment to sit and enjoy some fresh air and then he was put into another crate for his final journey to safety and rehabilitation.

Phoenix is not interacting with humans very much yet.

When a bowl of fresh wet dog food mixed with dry kibble was set in front of him, he sniffed (which is a good sign) but turned away and laid his head back down. After more attempts, he got the will to eat and has finished two bowls of food.

Phoenix is improving every hour.

Please check back for updates soon…. Our little Phoenix is a work in progress and will again, run, wag his tail and love again….. To be continued….

Phoenix was homeless and living on the streets in Henderson, NC. He was picked up by the Vance County Animal Control and dropped at the high kill animal shelter with no hope but to be euthanized due to overcrowding and his poor condition. When he arrived at the shelter, volunteers say that he was simply defeated, his spirit broken, and he sat with his head down looking at the ground with no life in his poor little body. He was so depressed he just hung his head in despair, his ears covered in scabs from flea and fly bites, his coat dirtied from living out on his own. The usual tail wag that accompanies meeting a human was not in Phoenix. Black labs are a dime a dozen in North Carolina, and Phoenix had no hope, and his body and mind displayed his despair. His only crime was that he was born, and his sentence, death.

Phoenix is described as a black lab retriever mix about 1 year old. Usually at this age, dogs like Phoenix are happy, energetic, vivacious and loving life. They are fiercely loyal to their humans, but in Phoenix’s case, humans let him down so many times before, that they meant nothing but sadness to him.

Middle Mutts, an organization that facilitates the rescue of many wonderful pets, reached out to City Dogs Rescue in Washington, DC and they just couldn’t say no. Phoenix will be saved from gassing because we saw something in this pup and didn’t want to let him die so young. Phoenix will be fostered and cared for until he regains his trust in humans and understands that humans can be caring, nurturing and loving. He will be adoptable through City Dogs Rescue as soon as he is healed from his recent neutering.

We would like to thank Karen and Sausage for opening their home to Daisy and Buttercup for July and August. These bonded rat terriers have been with City Dogs Rescue since May. They were saved with the help of A Shelter Friend in Bladen County, NC.

Karen cared for Daisy and Buttercup during the heartworm treatment at CityPaws. They are now both heartworm-free and have never been more ready to find a permanent home.

At the shelter, Daisy and Buttercup were very scared and very out of time.

Daisy and Buttercup with their pal Sausage

Karen recently moved so now Daisy and Buttercup are back with their original foster mom Kate. Since they were a bonded pair, we needed to find a foster home for them. If Kate didn't step up in May, they would have undoubtedly not survived in the shelter.

They are enjoying their reunion with Kate's family, but they deserve a permanent home. They are very low maintenance and now they are healthy, heartworm-free dogs!

Kate says that Daisy and Buttercup are "doing well and have seemed to adjust quickly to life in the 'burbs". On weekdays Kate keeps them at her family's home in Bethesda and her mom lets them out to hang out in the house with her in the afternoon. Kate says, "They get 4 short walks a day, which they LOVE going on! Every time I get up from my chair they start jumping around thinking I'm going to grab the leashes and take them out. They seem to be doing very well since getting their last heartworm shots."

Daisy and Buttercup are very sweet and gentle. They will make the perfect companions for anyone! We're trying to do all we can to keep these sisters together.

Today we were able to save Amy, Bo, Duncan (Blackie), and Marble from Bladen County, NC. We couldn't have done it without all our great supporters from donors to fosters. Marble is a two year old female named for her beautiful eyes. Duncan was named by his sponsor Kim and is a two year old Black Lab. Bo is a one year old yellow lab. Amy has a very sad story, but we are planning to turn her life around. Emaciated and starved, Amy came to the shelter with her two puppies. Amy is barely a year and a hound mix weighing only 15 pounds (she should be 25 pounds). Despite immediate attempts to save the puppies, they both passed during the night. Even though she was starving, Amy let her dying puppy nurse until it had died. We hope to find all these great animals loving homes.

In addition to these 4 dogs, we also saved Moose (Chevy) this week and he's doing great. He was hit by a car and barely survived. Thanks to great volunteers at A Shelter Friend, Moose was able to have surgery and has fully recovered. At just 10 months, he is super sweet and ready for his forever home.

FOSTERAmy has a foster home, but if you would like to open your home to Bo, Duncan, Marble, or Moose please fill out our foster application.

It's been a busy year for City Dogs Rescue. "Before" pictures were not available for all the dogs we saved, but we wanted to share the ones we do have because it is very rewarding to see these dogs get a second chance. Click on the pictures for more information and the dog's backstory.

Buck was brought to the shelter after he was found being beaten by a baseball bat. This beautiful boy waited patiently at Essex Shelter in Tappahanock, VA for someone to take him home. When he was out of time, City Dogs Rescue brought him to Washington, DC.

It seemed like nothing was going right for Buck. We wanted to find him a foster family because he has heartworm. (When undergoing heartworm treatment, a dog needs a home and minimal activity.) Despite his great disposition and loving personality, Buck never found a foster family and spent all of his days at the daycare. All the staff at the daycare took a liking to Buck because he was the only dog that always liked to nap on your lap.

Buck at GreenPaws

We were so happy when we found Shera of Pawfect Pups (on Twitter!). She is a wonderful trainer who volunteered to help Buck with weekly sessions. She volunteers her time to help bring out the best of our dog's personalities. The dogs in foster homes get more attention and training so they usually have a step ahead of the dogs at daycare.

After almost no time at all, Buck loved going on walks with our dog walkers. He always did great at our adoption events and immediately bonded with whoever his dog handler was for the day. Everyone who meets Buck always says what a beautiful Blue Tick Coonhound he is and now he has some meat on his bones and his coat truly shines!

After several applications that didn't pan out, Kevin and Kurt applied to adopt Buck. When they met him, they fell in love and decided to make him a part of their family. After months of waiting, everything turned around for Buck! His new family will provide him the perfect home and they are going to treat his heartworm, which is often a deterrent for many potential adopters. Since Buck was abandoned and abused, he has suffered some separation anxiety. Kevin and Kurt are going to work with Shera to help him adjust and to make sure he knows that he will never be alone again.

We couldn't be happier for Buck and his new family! If you are thinking about adopting a dog, check out our pups available here.